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New research by Aprimo, a Teradata company, in collaboration with Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, found that one in five consumers is now "showrooming"—the practice of visiting retail stores to try products, but then checking a mobile device for the best price online. Of those consumers already showrooming, 33 percent said they ultimately used the information to buy elsewhere. The trend is expected to continue growing, with 96 percent of respondents saying that they plan to use their smartphone to research prices the same way or more in the future.

The survey also found that consumer electronics are the most popular items price-checked in-store (39 percent), groceries (37 percent) are the second-most researched and apparel/footwear (33 percent) came in third.

"Retailers are eager to see data like this, because it helps them shape strategies to compete as mobile devices continue to disrupt the status quo," said Marc Schroeder, vice president, Industry Solutions at Aprimo, who helped develop the survey. "The opportunity here is to leverage technology and common sense, and shift to a customer-centric value proposition through better service, smarter timing and relevant offers. Retailers need new ways to build loyalty and brand value; physical-store retailers will not win in the long run by focusing only on price matching."